Ranch Raised

I love weekends like the one we just had here at the Jones Ranch! The weather was mild and beautiful. We didn’t have much going on away from the ranch, so I was able to focus on what needed done in my kitchen and garden. One of my favorite things about fall is the harvesting of the bounty!

I love supporting American agriculture and that is just what Fun, Fact Friday is all about right here on Ranch Raised! It is pear season in the US! Many old homesteads are still dotted with the occasional pear tree or orchard.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about this subject after I listened to a recent podcast on the Old Fashion On Purpose channel. We have become a nation that decades ago started abandoning the principle that the home was a place of production and instead morphed into this place of consumption.

As I left off yesterday telling you about my productive canning weekend, I also left you with a teaser. I am not an avid podcast listener. I want to be because there are so many great ones out there that appeal to me, but I always forget to put podcasts on in the car or when I’m folding laundry. But this weekend. I thought “why not fill the kitchen with some background noise while canning?!?”

Our family split up this weekend to divide and conquer! My husband took my older girls, heifers, and goats to the Nebraska State Fair for the FFA show weekend. By all accounts they had a great time together, but came home pretty darn tired.

Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day weekend also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans.

Life is short, make it peach! Thanks for tuning into Fun, Fact Friday right here on Ranch Raised! I devote a lot of pantry space to quart jars of peaches, so let’s learn more about one America’s favorite delights!

It’s finally hitting, preservation season has hit my kitchen. I am deep in peaches and pears right now. Which brings me to today’s subject. I am having this seasonal internal struggle.

Yesterday, I told you about our broody little hen who is sitting on a dozen eggs. I have some other really big news to share with you and yesterday’s episode is about of good of segway as any to let the cat out of the bag.

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about our little Mottley Cluck Crew. Our little gang of 8 hens that roost in the barn instead of their coup and provide is with just the right amount of eggs for our family.